


Lost

by UTChronicle



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Gen, Science Fiction, Sequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:47:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25946095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UTChronicle/pseuds/UTChronicle
Summary: It's been nearly 4 years since the War For Monsterkind was won. Most have moved on, and started adapting to new lives. However, Frisk and his friends are about to be thrust into a whole new adventure, which will see them face challenges unlike anything they have seen before.
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a sequel to the Undertale: Chronicle saga. The previous stories are publicly available on FanFiction.net. It is highly advised that you read these first, before delving into 'Lost.' I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> -Nolan

A calm autumn breeze whispered through the air. Orange street lamps illuminated the sidewalks and the quiet roads. The bustle of downtown Slagos was still barely audible. Still, it was so quiet that here, the chirping of a cricket could overpower it.  
This quiet tranquility was broken by the echo of footsteps sprinting around the corners. A woman ran into a back alleyway, fumbling around in her pockets for a key. She undid the lock on the door at the end of the hall, then turned to the keypad it revealed. After a quick glance over her shoulder, she then punched in the nine digit code. 

Frantically, she threw the door open and darted inside, slamming it shut and locking it behind her. Her eyes scanned along the walls, before spying a nearby hammer. She was almost afraid she’d drop it from how badly her hands were shaking as she slammed it against the door again and again, breaking off the key. That should buy her some time. 

She slowed her pace to a jog as she descended a flight of stairs, glancing up and down the hallways.

“Frederick?!” she hollered as she entered a room. A man’s head looked up from a desk.

“I’m still here, Amelie!” Frederick replied.

“How’re those files coming along?” she asked, again finding her gaze locked to the door. 

“Almost finished, I just need another ten minutes and we can get the hell out of here.”

“You’ll have to make it three. We don’t have ten minutes anymore. Ran into our little friends on the way over, just barely managed to shake them. They’re coming here now though.”  
“What?! What about Wilfred?!”

Amelie put a hand on her husband’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ve taken care of that.”

Loud beeping caused them both to start, a red light flashing on the panel. They both knew what it meant. 

“Dammit, they’re already here,” Frederick swore. “I don’t have enough time to purge the rest! A-And we still have all the physical notes!”

Amelie sprinted through two metal doors at the opposite end to a large spherical shape made out of a smooth metal. She wrenched the door open, then ran back to the computer.  
“Grab the gasoline, we’ll burn the rest!” 

A bang echoed through the halls. Frederick grabbed a jerry can, and dumped the fuel over every object inside. Amelie worked fast, her eyes flashing for a split second to the door as a second bang rang out, sending dust sprinkling from the ceiling. She finally hit enter, shoving Frederick to the machine in the other room as from under the desk she grabbed a pistol. Frederick stared at her in shock as she ushered him to the machine.

“You can’t be serious! That’s our escape plan?!”

Amelie grunted, “Do you have a better idea?! Besides, you always said you wanted to be on the maiden voyage, SO GET IN THE DAMN THING!” 

Frederick didn’t have to be told twice. She checked the camera on the desk, just in time for the door to open with an explosion. Six figures clad in black wearing balaclavas stormed through the front. 

Without hesitation she shot at the gas, and in a heartbeat it ignited. Immediately, she shut the two doors leading to the machine, jamming a crowbar into the door handles. With no more time to waste, she sprinted towards Frederick in the machine. A glance to the door saw the intruders entering the blazing room. A heart-stopping thud as one of the figures jumped through the flames, slamming against the barred doors. The man jumped back immediately, and she saw a bright ball appear in the hands of another. The magic was thrown at the door, blasting it open. She closed the door to the machine just in time.

Metal pangs echoed around inside as the plasma bolts singed the metallic surface. She jammed a key into the ignition switch, turning it ninety degrees clockwise, before slapping a red button. With the parameters already in from the computer, she sat down, buckling herself in. Frederick sat down across from her, staring at her as the machine whirred to life. She closed her eyes, drawing in a breath, as a blinding light filled the room.


	2. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Around a roast beef dinner, the spark of adventure is lit.

**16 years later…**

* * *

The sun still warmed Frisk’s face, despite the slightly nippy October air. He tucked his hands into his coat pockets, watching as a squirrel disappeared into the forest lining the sides of the road.

“Wait up!” Hearing the familiar voice he glanced over his shoulder, spying Asriel sprinting down the road and trying to catch up with him. Frisk slowed his pace slightly, waiting until Asriel was beside him, panting from the exertion. His head tilted.

“Did you run all the way from school to here? It’s like two miles!”

Asriel nodded, as he leaned forward with his hands on his knees. “Y...Yeah...hff…”

Frisk shook his head, giving Asriel a playful punch to the shoulder.

Four years had passed since the War For Monsterkind had been won. The past years had seen much change all over the world. Monsters had spread out over several nations, though most had chosen to stay within Reston, close to Mount Ebott, the only home they had known for centuries.

Just after the war had ended, Asgore confessed to the killing of the six children that had fallen under the mountain. The courts had taken pity on the monsters due to the hardships they had been forced to endure, and since Asgore came forward once things had settled, his final sentence had been to sixty years of house arrest. Along with this, he had to abdicate the throne, and would not be allowed to have any sort of political position again.

In his absence, Toriel had returned to the throne. While the monsters did not have their own nation, Toriel was still allowed a seat at the Prime Summit to speak on behalf of her people. Undyne was still captain of the Royal Guard, serving loyally to protect Toriel, despite her exasperated attempts at telling her there was nothing to fear.

Since Toriel was seldom at home, Frisk and Asriel often found themselves at Sans and Papyrus’ place. Papyrus had tried taking up actual cooking lessons, stating proudly he intended on opening a restaurant much like Grillby’s. This dream was...a work in progress. Meanwhile Sans was...well, still Sans. When he wasn’t sleeping, he was usually throwing puns at whoever would listen. Sans kept contact with Alphys, who was still actively involved around the scientific community. She had also come clean about the DT experiments around the same time as Asgore did about the murders. The amalgamates, too, had been brought to the surface, and with the help of several human researchers a cure was in the works from them to potentially separate the fused monsters and maybe...just maybe...return them to their families as individuals. Lately, she was seldom seen outside of two places: her home, and the large research facility on the outskirts of Ebott.

“Happy Unity Day, by the way, Frisk.” Asriel’s voice snapped Frisk back to the present.

“Hmm? Oh yeah, it is Unity Day isn’t it…” Frisk mumbled, half to himself. Unity Day; An international holiday celebrating the end of the war. As they turned the corner, Frisk spotted a small patch of golden flowers in one of the yards on the edge of the residential street. He nudged Asriel again.

“Hey look, it’s some of your friends!” Asriel rolled his eyes.

“Very funny. You know, if Flowey were here, he’d probably strangle you for that one.”

Frisk chortled. “I don’t doubt it.”

The soul Frisk had given back to Asriel had worked nicely. However, it was not without...complications. There was still a piece of Flowey within Asriel. Occasionally, this side would come to the surface. They co-existed in the same body, and were content with it. After just a few months, Asriel had grown to be able to control Flowey, and had only had a few incidents where the emotions had gotten the better of him. Both he and Frisk had been working hard on living normal lives, something they had not been able to do in their pasts, but now, everything was calm. It was almost a paradise to Frisk.

They turned the corner, walking up the pathway to Asgore’s home. Asriel turned the knob, letting themselves into the home.

“Hey Dad!” he called out, as he and Frisk kicked off their shoes.

Asgore’s jolly voice called back from the kitchen. “Hello, Asriel! Your mother and I are working on dinner.”

“Correction, I am making dinner, you are somehow failing to chop vegetables.” Frisk peered around the corner, immediately hit with the aroma of a roast beef. And then there was poor Asgore, looking befuddled at a rather messily chopped up pepper.

Every month Toriel, Frisk, and Asriel met at Asgore’s place to have a family dinner. Oftentimes Sans and Papyrus would also tag along, having become family themselves.

“Anything new and exciting, Mom?” Asriel asked, walking into the kitchen.

Toriel sighed. “Unless you consider a mountain’s worth of paperwork interesting, then no, nothing new and exciting.”

The prince shrugged. “Well, that’s not bad, I guess. Have our two boney friends arrived yet?”

“right behind you.” Everyone in the room jumped, much to Sans’s amusement. The skeleton bent over, chuckling.

“ohhh, you guys are too good. you always fall for that!”

Right on cue, Papyrus burst through the front door, his voice ringing out around the house. “Attention! Attention everyone! The Great Papyrus is here to liven up the party, as always! Oooh! I smell cooking!” He scurried towards the kitchen. “Can I be of any assistance, your majesty?”

“No, no, no,I am fine, Papyrus, I do not need any assistance,” she quickly replied.

The last time Papyrus had ‘helped’, it resulted in the fire department nearly being called. Asriel shuddered, the incident of the burnt spaghetti casserole still fresh in his mind.

Papyrus stood up straight. “As you wish, but should you ever need any kind of assistance, do not be afraid to call upon The Great Papyrus! Nyeh-heh-heh!” He strutted off with his chest puffed out, and Sans was quick to follow.

“i’ll go make sure he doesn’t break anything...again.”

Toriel glanced up from her work, nodding at her two children. “Dinner will be another hour yet, dears.”

Asriel shrugged. “It’s fine. Hey, Frisk, I think there was some new show that was supposed to air today.”

intrigued, Frisk departed with his adopted brother, leaving the Dreemurrs, well, one of them at least, to continue cooking.

* * *

Frisk’s eyes widened as he walked into the dining room nearly an hour later. Every time he was stunned at how good it smelled, though he would not be surprised if that was thanks to some magical secret ingredients. They were all just starting to serve themselves, when there was a knock at the door. Toriel frowned.

“Who could that be…” Asgore started to stand to answer it, but Toriel motioned for him to sit back down.

“Do not worry, I can fetch it.” As the others continued, she walked out to the doorway, opening it up. She brightened when she saw the visitor. “Ah, hello Alphys!”

Alphys gave a shy wave. “G-Good evening, er, y-your majesty! I...well u-uh, I was wondering if...i-if I could join y-you guys for dinner? I uh...was f-feeling k-kinda lonely tonight.”

A sympathetic smile graced the queen’s face.. “Well, there is no point in standing around outside feeling lonely, is there? You are more than welcome. We have plenty!”

Alphys heaved a sigh of relief, a small smile crossing her own face as well. “O-Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I-It smells good in here,” she remarked as she stepped inside. By the time Alphys and Toriel returned, Sans had already practically drowned his foot in ketchup and was eating away. He glanced up when he saw Alphys.

“mm, hey alph.” Alphys gave him a little wave. Several quiet minutes passed as plates were filled, and gradually emptied again. In an effort to make conversation, Toriel glanced to Alphys.

“It has been some time since you last spoke of your and Sans’ little project. How is that fairing?”

Sans glanced up at Alphys, who met his eyes. Frisk glanced to the two of them, piping up.

“Uh, what project?” It was certainly the first he had heard of it.

Toriel tilted her head. “You did not hear? Alphys approached me about a year ago to secure funding for a large project of hers at that research facility. Something big and important, I’ve heard. Sans has recently joined her efforts.”

Sans gave a cough, but Alphys shrugged. “Well...I-I mean, people will find out eventually...we’ve been researching exploration outside of our own world.”

“What, space travel?” Frisk asked. “We already accomplished that decades ago!”

“No, no, not space travel. Much b-bigger than space travel.” Alphys’s eyes sparked with excitement. “H-Has anyone here, w-well besides Sans, heard of the m-multiverse?”

Asriel swallowed, before raising his hand. “Yeah, I remember reading about that in a science textbook. It hasn’t been confirmed though! You’re meaning to say that…”

“we’re thinking the multiverse is real,” Sans finished the sentence. “we started thinking about that after discussing frisk’s resets a bit further. long story short...we think we’ve proven it! we’re working on a machine right now to try to reach out, explore a bit and the like.”

Papyrus stared inquisitively at his brother. “Sans, you’re never working on anything. You’re always lounging around the house like the lazybones that you are!”

Sans slowly turned his head. “that...pap...s’because i’m usually, like, working until three in the mornin’.”

Asgore blinked. “It...sounds complicated, and dangerous.”

Alphys shook her head. “The machine we’re d-designing is being built to withstand vacuums s-stronger than that of what you can find in space! As long as you have proper coordinates within both time and space, y-you should be able to pull off a journey without a hitch! We’re...just trying to work on compiling a list right now...and uh...find volunteers to pilot the thing.”

Frisk was getting excited just from talking about it. “Sounds cool! Hey, would it be possible to come by and see it?”

She looked to Sans, who gave a little shrug, then to Toriel, who sighed. “As long as it is safe to be in there...then I suppose it will be alright, yes,” she conceded.

Alphys gave a little chuckle. “W-Well, if you and Asriel are both open, Frisk, I could come get you tomorrow morning and bring you over?”

Asriel shrugged. “I mean hey, I got nothing better to do tomorrow!”

“Then it’s settled!” the scientist proclaimed. “I-I’ll pick you guys up at say...9:30?” Frisk immediately pulled out his phone, setting an alarm to make sure he’d be up an hour before. With the time set, the feast resumed. Now though, the food was far from the first thing on Frisk’s mind.


	3. Launch Initiated

Anticipation grew within Frisk as the car parked close to the entryway of the Mount Ebott Research Facility. The instant it stopped fully, Asriel and Frisk both stepped out, Alphys quickly taking the lead as they walked inside. Instead of heading down to the main desks, however, she turned right, immediately heading for the staff door.

She fumbled around in the pockets of her labcoat, taking out a keycard and sliding it through a card reader. A security guard nodded to her as the door opened.

“They’re with me!” she called over her shoulder. Hearing this, the guard held the door open for Frisk and Asriel to walk through. Alphys had an excited grin on her face, her claws tapping on the marble floor as she walked.

“We’ve been working hard on this project. In fact, it c-could end up being more important than the c-construction of the CORE itself if we can pull it off!” 

Various doors branched off of the hallway. Many of them led to different laboratories, each researching a different facet of this behemoth project, though the particulars were beyond Frisk. 

There was, however, one room which made him pause. Through the window of the door, he could spy two seats hooked up to what appeared to be the interior of a cockpit. Alphys stopped, backing up and glancing through the window herself.  
“Ah, th-that is our simulator!”

“Simulator?” Asriel queried. Alphys gave him a funny look. 

“Of course! It’s to run t-training flights for the p-pilots. We’re shooting them into different u-universes, they’ll n-need practice, of course.”

“Do you and Sans know how to fly?” Frisk asked as they continued on. The scientist gave a nod.

“Of course! But at least o-one of us will likely stay behind when we s-send it out for the first time, in case something g-goes wrong.” 

At last, they reached the end of the long corridor, where another locked door greeted them. Once more, Alphys slid her card through the reader, and the doors swung open. Frisk and Asriel’s mouths dropped as they entered.

What greeted them was a large hollowed-out room. At the center of it sat a bullet-shaped ship sat in the center of the room, little wings perched upon it. On the back were three engines, though defying Frisk’s expectations of science-fiction convention, they weren’t rocket boosters. The ship was pointed at a large tube set in the wall, which extended into darkness further than Frisk could see, illuminated only by soft lights along the footpaths. 

“There she is!” Alphys stated proudly. “We’re still th-thinking of a name, we were thinking of calling it the Comet. Oh, Sans!” she called out, starting to rush down the metal staircase off to the left. Asriel and Frisk were quick to follow. Hearing his name, Sans, who was already present, looked up from one of many desks with dozens of dials, buttons, switches, and of course, papers. Frisk tilted his head, instantly noting the lab coat Sans wore, identical to Alphys’s.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without that hoodie.”

Sans chuckled. “that so? glad i could liven up your day a little bit with this astonishing fact. what do you think?”

Asriel let out a whistle of admiration. “I imagine it wasn’t easy building all this in a year.”

Alphys rubbed the back of her head. “W-Well, there are some of the smartest minds in the world in this room.”

“What powers the engines? It doesn’t look like they’re gas powered.”

Sans nodded. “perceptive! they aren’t. we’ve been experimenting with creating plasma, and using that to power the engines. so far, things appear to be on course. it’s quite ‘energizing’ learning about this stuff you could say- ow!” He grunted as Alphys elbowed him in the ribs, a spark of annoyance flashing through her.

“We s-said no puns in here!” Her voice was leaden with exasperation as she explained to Asriel and Frisk, “He couldn’t stop it with them on the first day here, by the end over a third of the staff had threatened to quit.”   
Asriel couldn’t help but give a sharp snort of amusement.

“Can we look inside?” Frisk asked, looking back at the Comet. 

Sans shrugged. “don’t see why not! c’mon, alph.” The skeleton took the lead, approaching the Comet’s open door, and the ramp leading down to the floor. As the group stepped inside, the first thing Frisk saw were several specialized suits lining the wall near the entrance. He lifted one of the gloved arms, staring curiously at the helmet.

“What’re these for?”

Sans glanced over his shoulder. “oh, those are a safety precaution. no tellin’ what the atmosphere’ll be like in other worlds. those environmental suits are just in case we can’t breathe the air, or its toxic or something.”   
Frisk nodded, letting the arm fall back. As if on cue, there was a loud hiss from the doorway. The four turned around, just in time to see the ramp retract and the door close. Silently they stared for several seconds before Asriel broke the silence.

“Was...that supposed to happen?”

Alphys furrowed her brow. “N-No, no it wasn’t. Don’t worry, the t-technicians will be on it. Probably just a w-wiring fault somewhere.”

Frisk continued gazing around the cabin. Besides the two seats at the control panel, there was room for six others inside with them. 

“How’re you supposed to see outside where you’re going?” he asked, noticing the lack of a windscreen.

Sans walked to the control panel, pushing two of the buttons. Immediately, a blackened screen on the dashboard lit up, showing the tube in front of them.

“we didn’t know how glass would respond to travel, so just in case we’ve got laser-scanners that feed information about the terrain back to us through this screen.

“Sans?” Alphys piped up, frowning at the dashboard. Then Frisk saw it too. 

One of the lights was blinking near the pilot’s seat. “Were you d-doing some e-electrical tests on the motors?”

The skeleton tilted his head, wandering over, hands stuffed into the labcoat pockets. “nope. might have been lucas though.”

“What’s up?” Asriel made his way over to the dashboard now. Alphys didn’t look up, still looking confused.

“The primary engines are in stand-by mode.”

“Meaning?”

“Well, before you go out on a journey, the Comet will put herself into s-standby mode to allow for f-final checks to be completed. We h-haven’t been planning for one though!”

Now Frisk’s curiosity was piqued. “Is the Comet ready for a trip?”

Sans shrugged again. “technically yeah, we’ve just been trying to train up another pilot. we’d like to have two in case something happened to the first. sickness or whatnot...welp, no point in having them on standby if no tests are being done.”

He reached over, flicking two of the switches to power them off. Instead, a growing whine filled the cabin, and a second light joined the first blinking. Alphys glanced up.

“Er...Sans? I...I-I think you flicked the wrong switch.” 

Frisk glanced over his shoulder at the sound of an engine spooling up. Despite his calm voice, Frisk could just barely pick out the growing uneasiness embedded in the words.

“hang on, hang on…” He tried flipping the switches again, and Frisk heard the other two starting to power up as well. 

Asriel rubbed his arm nervously. “Guys?”

“Sans, the shutoff switches!” Alphys’s eyes were wide as dishes. 

“I just did, they didn’t work!” Sans barked in frustration. 

Alphys reached over him, lifting up a plastic case over a larger red button. She pressed it down...but there was nothing. The engines continued growing louder in the whine. Frisk glanced to the dashboard, spying a monitor showing the engines as they powered on. Alphys pushed the button a second time. A third. But still, there was nothing. The two scientists locked eyes, and both of them saw the growing fear.

Sans pointed at Frisk and Asriel. “Strap yourselves in. Now!” 

Immediately Asriel and Frisk sat down in the two closest seats, tugging seatbelts over their shoulders to lock themselves in. Alphys and Sans meanwhile sat themselves down in the pilot seats, doing the same. On his own end, Sans pulled up another screen, starting to type in a string of code. 

“What are you doing?!” Alphys demanded. 

“I’m trying to manually override the launch process!”

“Launch process?!” Frisk’s voice rose an octave. Sans slammed an angry fist onto the keyboard.

“Damn...hang on you two, this might get rough!” He directed his next words to Alphys, “We’re too far into the procedure, I can’t stop it now.”

Alphys nodded, closing her eyes for a brief moment, running the options through her head. “A-Alright, forget shutdown. L-Let’s at least try to g-get this thing up safe so we don’t end up blowing o-ourselves up!” 

Sans nodded in agreement. Frisk gripped the shoulder belts, taking deep breaths as he squeezed his eyes shut. Just as he exhaled, he let out a firm grunt as they were thrown back into their seats, just as the Comet shot into the unknown.


	4. New Places With New Faces

“Uph-!” Frisk grunted, as they were thrown forward into the belts which kept him pinned against the seat. He gave a little cough as his breath returned. The Comet had slowed almost as quickly as it had shot off. To his side was Asriel, the prince staring straight ahead, huffing breathlessly. 

Sans flicked some of the switches, then muttered to Alphys, “there’s a clearing, let’s put her down there.” 

Alphys nodded, the Comet lurching slightly as Alphys guided it down. Frisk didn’t realize he was still holding his breath until after he felt the ship touch the ground. Alphys glanced over her shoulder.

“E-Everyone alright?”

Frisk gave a breathless nod, then looked again to Asriel. He could see the distress in his eyes. “Az. You’re still you, right?”

Asriel gave a slow nod. “Y...Yeah...I think at least…” 

Frisk took another deep breath, as he heard the engines’ attempts to wind down. “Wait...I thought...I thought the engines turned themselves on, now they’re turning themselves off?”

Sans grunted. “at least something worked like it was supposed to. the automatic shutdown procedures are supposed to kick in when the comet lands again.”

By now Asriel was breathing something like normally again. “What happened anyway?”

Alphys started unbuckling the belts. “O-O-One thing at a t-time. First, we f-find out where we a-are.”

Slowly, they all rose from their seats. Frisk blinked as he stood, growing dizzy. He wobbled slightly, taking a step back, when Asriel’s hand on his back steadied him. Sans leaned over one of the screens.

“wherever we are, it doesn’t look much different than our world. i think we’ll be safe to go out.”

“How? The ramp’s still closed. That’s part of why we’re here in the first place,” Frisk pointed out.

“ye of little faith,” Sans chuckled. Frisk noted a little glow in his left eye, raising one of his skeletal hands. The ramp let out a groan, and slowly jerked itself open. Asriel stared at the skeleton, befuddled.

“Why didn’t you do that before?”

“b’cause i didn’t want to damage a year’s worth of work,” the skeleton stated matter-of-factly. 

Sans took the lead, the first one down the ramp. The other three followed close behind. Around the edges of the clearing, trees loomed above. Frisk took out his phone.

“No service,” he muttered. “So...now what? Is this one of those...other universes?”

A familiar glint of curiosity appeared in Alphys’ eyes. “W-Well, that  _ is _ what the Comet is supposed to do…”

Asriel rubbed the back of his head. “Bit underwhelming...you sure we even left our own universe? Maybe we’re just somewhere else in our own.”

Sans grunted. “doubt it. got a little funny feeling about this place.”

“Hey, look!” Frisk pointed to the edges of the trees, where a thin pillar of smoke rose up. “Where there’s smoke, there’s usually people.”

The group looked amongst themselves, trying to decide what to do. Asriel made the decision for them.

“Well...it’d be better than staying here, right?”

Sans shrugged. “little princey’s got a point. ‘sides, looks like it’s still morning, but the daylight won’t last forever.” 

Once more, they exchanged silent looks amongst themselves, before in unison the group started to set off into the trees, in search of civilization.

* * *

It was just half an hour later when the group broke free from the trees. Up ahead was a dirt road, wheel ruts burrowing into the earth from constant use. The source of the smoke was not far off. It was a lot more than a house like Frisk had thought, but in fact it was an entire village!

As they walked along the dirt highway into the village, Frisk noticed the clothes of the inhabitants. Most were dirty, no doubt from the dust in the air, but all of them were...old. From a past time. Frisk’s feeling of uneasiness grew as they walked further into the village. He could feel the stares locked on him. Not since his journey through the Underground had he felt more out of place. 

“Sans…” he hissed under his breath. 

The skeleton’s voice was hushed to try and draw less attention. “just ignore ‘em. in a place this small, everybody’ll know each other. so having four strangers just turn up’ll cause a little stir...especially the way we’re dressed compared to them.”

The words did little to ease the tension within him. Asriel spoke quietly, “They’re all monsters! Wonder if they’ve also had a war with the humans…”

“If they did,” Frisk replied, “then either they won, or they’ve already broken free. I don’t know which is worse, for  _ me _ at least.” 

Asriel let out a chuckle under his breath. The clomping of hooves grew louder from behind them, before a voice called out, stopping the group dead.

“You there!” 

They turned around, seeing the culprit. An elemental pulled his horse up just in front of the group. He almost looked like Grillby did, except he appeared to be made of a more yellow flame than the bar owner.

“We do not get many travellers down this way. Are you lost?”

Alphys was about to reply, but Sans beat her to it. “yeah, just a little bit. don’t suppose you could lend us a hand, could you?”

The monster stared inquisitively at them. “That...depends on where you want to go!”

“well, where’s somewhere important?”

“Important? If you’re talking about the Capital, you’re on the right track! Just keep following this road north, you should reach it by midday.”

Asriel nodded. “Thank you for your help!”

The monster gave a curt nod, before riding past them down the road. Sans grunted. 

“c’mon, let’s get outta here before we attract any more attention.” 

It wasn’t long before they reached the outskirts of the small village. Asriel squinted his eyes. Sure enough, in the distance there was what looked to be a much larger city over the plains.

“What do you reckon, four hours walk?”

Alphys shrugged. “P-Probably a little less...are...are we actually going to go there?”

Sans was already walking. Over his shoulder he called, “got a better idea?”

Lacking one, the remaining three followed. Frisk glanced over his shoulder at the feudal village again.

“So weird...it feels like we’ve more gone back in  _ time _ than to a different universe!”

“W-Well, universes could be l-like worlds! They are b-born, and then they d-die. This one might just be younger...or the inhabitants just aren’t as e-evolved yet!”

Sans grunted, overhearing the conversation. “yep, that’s bad news for  _ us _ though right now. means finding help might be a lot harder than we thought.”


	5. Before The King

By the time they finally reached the city gates, the sun had passed the midway point, and was starting to move towards the horizon. Everybody was exhausted, to the point where even Sans had stopped making little quips to lighten the mood. The once quiet road was now alive with the bustle of visitors, many of them appearing to be merchants.

Beside the gates and up on the ramparts, the city guards stood proud, with every cart being checked and every visitor being questioned. The group remained in the center of the road. They had no idea what they were supposed to do. All they knew was that the truth was unlikely to be believed. As such, they were hoping they could just slip inside in the bustle and avoid suspicion. Step by step they moved, not uttering a single word, keeping their heads low. They had just about made it through…

"Hey! You four! Stop right there!" one of the guards shouted out, immediately stopping them dead in their tracks. In unison their four heads looked to the voice, spying the guard motioning for them to come closer. With no other option, the group moved over.

Beneath his breath, Sans muttered to the others, "jus' let me do the talking."

The guard looked them over suspiciously.

"what's th matter?" Sans spoke up.

"I see dozens, sometimes hundreds of people walk in and out of those gates every day. But none of them look quite as curious as you." Their clothes. That's what had gotten the caught. Alphys had pointed out this fear on the way over, but they were hardly able to do anything about it.

"What business do you have here?"

"just came to have a little looksie, figured there might be something interesting in the market."

"Looksie?" the guard queried, arching an eyebrow.

Frisk spoke up, trying to be helpful. "He means just trying to have a look around."

The guard narrowed his eyes, the suspicion in his eyes renewed.

"What about you? No 'human' ever comes here just to see the markets. What business do _you_ have?" The guard's tone immediately turned hostile as he addressed Frisk. He ducked his head, knowing speaking up to have been a mistake, when a second voice spoke with authority from up on the ramparts.

"Is there a problem, Gandar?"

Gandar glanced up to the wall, where a second guard stared down. This one appeared to be a guard captain, as a gold cape fluttered in the calm breeze behind him and with a distinct marking on his right shoulder plate the other guards lacked.

"They claim they're stopping by to see the market, I believe it was, but I've never seen the likes of these before, not to mention one of them's a human!"

Frisk looked down at the ground. The captain looked them over, brow furrowed. He finally pointed towards the large castle at the other end of the city.

"Take them before the king! He will no doubt be able to discover why they are really here."

The guard nodded at his captain, before turning to the group. "You heard him. Let's move."

Trapped, the group set off. Under his breath, Asriel hissed, "You _had_ to open your mouth, right?"

"How was I supposed to know humans aren't necessarily welcome?" Frisk shot back.

The prince rolled his eyes, just as Sans piped up again. "say, uh, who's the king again?"

The guard stopped dead, staring in shock. "Y...You _are_ joking, right?"

Alphys quickly stepped in, looking more nervous by the second. "W-W-We're not uh…f-from around h-here…"

"I can tell, but everybody knows King Asriel, no matter where you're from! You honestly haven't…?" He cut himself off, clearly mystified. The group exchanged glances with widening eyes, then slowly turned to their own Asriel. He was already struggling to keep his jaw from falling agape. Frisk nudged his friend, and they kept moving.

Over his shoulder, Frisk spoke, "I mean, obviously we know who king _Asriel_ is...we were just pulling your leg."

Immediately Asriel muttered under his breath to Alphys, "What are the odds of that?!"

"Higher than you might think actually…" Alphys whispered back, "there's bound to be thousands if not millions of different universes out there...it's not that far fetched to think we happen to be in one where Asriel...er, you...are the king!"

The prince let out a little chuckle. "I think I'm starting to like this adventure."

"Just keep your wits about you," Frisk warned. "We may know you, but we don't know the king. For all we know, he could be a bloodthirsty tyrant."

Asriel paused, before continuing on, forcing the things he wanted to say back down into his gut.

* * *

"Wait here," the guard spoke gruffly, leaving the group just outside one of the chambers. From the cobble streets of the city, they had been marched through elegant hallways, where they had caught stares from fellow guards, servants, even one or two of the nobles that resided close by. Just a few seconds later, the same guard returned, motioning for them to enter.

As they entered the throne room, they found themselves immediately assaulted by the curious gaze of the king himself. This other Asriel donned gold and dark blue robes, a crown atop his head between his horns. His stare focused hard on Frisk and Asriel. Frisk didn't quite know what to expect, but he had to admit, the king did appear kind, almost dispelling his fears of cruel tyrants. Still...he decided to keep his wits about. Beside the king stood two royal guards, their armour similar to the colour of the king's robes. Both stared warily at Frisk, not helping his nerves.

"Thank you, Gandar, you may go." The guard gave a bow, before departing the throne room. The king then addressed the group.

"I hear you are not from around here. You know already who I am...but who, might I ask, are you?"

Sans took the lead. "name's there is alphys, frisk, and...er...asriel."

Asriel's eyes widened, immediately training on his younger doppelganger.

"Apologies but...your name is, also Asriel?"

Asriel gave a little nod, stepping forward. He cleared his throat.

"Yes, er, your majesty...that's right."

A small grin cracked the king's neutral expression as he gave a little chuckle. "A small world we must live in...tell me then, what brings you out this way? Gandar tells me you claim to be travellers."

Asriel continued speaking for the group, taking over from Sans. "That's right. We're...well, not from around here."

"I see." The king nodded, then switched his focus to Frisk. "What of your human companion?"

Frisk finally met his gaze, not sure what to say.

"You must understand, it's been...well, shall we say, some time since humans have ventured out this way, let alone in the company of another monster…you must be a far way from home to cross the ocean. So young too…"

Frisk cleared his throat. "I'm er...not from across the ocean, sire. I've been living with my friends for a long time."

Instantly the smile of the king vanished. "Trust me...Frisk, was it? My kingdom may be vast, but I _do_ know what goes on within its borders. So believe me...if there were a human living here...I would know about it. Besides, your apparel completely disproves what you propose! It really is unlike anything I have seen. Surely you must be from Tamprel over the Vinlo Ocean."

Sans tried to speak up helpfully, "with all due respect, your highness...you are a bit wrong."

"My friend, I may be old, but trust me...I am not, stupid. So if you think you can attempt to insult my intelligence...you are sorely mistaken. Now. I want the truth. By continuing to lie, it shows that you have something to hide. From the fact you are willing to lie to my face alone...I could even have you arrested under suspicion of harm to the throne."

Asriel forced himself to hold his tongue. Sans spoke again, slightly quieter.

"if we tell you the truth...you wouldn't believe us."

"Try me."

The skeleton sighed, glancing to Alphys. The scientist sighed, before launching into her explanation.

"W-When we say we aren't f-from here, we really m-mean it. We come from a different u-universe with the help of a machine designed t-t-to hop across different w-worlds. O-Our ship accidentally t-took off, and we ended up here! We...W-W-We came here h-hoping that maybe there was s-someone smart that could help u-us."

Asriel's brow furrowed further as the tale went on. At its conclusion, he simply shook his head.

"You're right. I don't believe you." He waved to the guards beside him. "Arrest the lot. They can spend time in the dungeons until they want to say what we're really up to."

Frisk glared, taking a step back as the guards approached. "Wait a second, you can't do that! We haven't done anything wrong!"

Sans let out a yawn. "welp, it's been fun, but i think i'll step out now." In the blink of an eye, the skeleton had vanished. Frisk gawked as the guards grabbed his hands, pinning them behind his back. The king rose from his throne as the remaining trio started to be ushered from the room.

"I want _every_ guard hunting for that monster! Put the city on lockdown, find him! Bring him in dead or alive!"


	6. Escape

Alphys anxiously twiddled her thumbs as she paced on the cold, hard floor. On one of the wooden cots, Frisk sat, gently rubbing Asriel's back. The prince stared straight ahead at the wall, taking shaky breaths. From the moment they had been thrown into their cell, it had grown harder and harder for Asriel to stay in control over his floral counterpart. Frisk had turned his focus fully on making sure he stayed as calm as possible...although the musty smell in the air was hardly helping.

"You know he'll come back...he's probably just thinking up a plan."

Asriel's voice was strained as he took another deep breath. "I don't know Frisk...we've been in here for hours…"

"H-He's probably s-still thinking of one of those p-plans of his…"

Frisk sighed. Their cell was walled in from all sides, spare for the iron door with a barred window, their only link to anywhere other than the dank, dark cell. Beyond it, the light of the torches from the cold hallway cast flickering shadows over the floor. Asriel's fear seeped further into his voice.

"What do you think A...er...I'll do with, well us...this is very complicated."

Frisk let out a little chuckle. "Right? Uh...well, he wanted to know what we were doing here...that means he's going to keep us alive. So, that'll buy us some time."

"But we told him the truth!"

Frisk shrugged. "I'm honestly not surprised he didn't take our word for it. Machines from other dimensions? They probably haven't even mapped their own world yet, let alone thought of exploring others."

He stood up, walking across the cell to sit down next to the scientist. Then he lowered his voice, finally revealing his own concerns.

"Look...I don't doubt he'd be able to get in here...but do you think he'll be in time? I mean the king thinks we're out to get him, that means it's only a matter of time before he decides we won't talk and starts...well, you can guess."

Alphys glanced to the door, not saying a word. Frisk leaned his head back against the wall, heaving a sigh.

"I don't know...I...j-just hope he...he g-gets here soon…"

As if on cue, footsteps echoed down the hall. The trio stood, bracing in anticipation, then a welcome voice spoke out.

"guys need a hand in there?"

"About time!" Asriel immediately brightened, while Frisk remained warier.

"How're you going to get us out? We shouldn't go breaking down doors or we'll have the whole guard down-"

Sans cut him off with a cough, twirling a ring of keys on one of his bony fingers.

"Or you know...that…" Frisk mumbled.

The keys jangled in the lock, and at last the door opened. Before the freed trio could even leave the room, the skeleton was already on the move.

"c'mon, won't be long before they notice what's happened, we need to move."

He led the way through the hallways, up the stone steps leading back to the main floor. But as they reached the top, Frisk froze. Two guards lay motionless by the doors.

"Uh...Sans?"

"hmm? oh, them. don't worry about it, they're sleeping!...i think…"

Frisk could just barely hear the last two words. Not stopping to think about it, he allowed the skeleton to lead on. It soon became clear he had already planned the route, not hesitating as he ducked down various corridors.

"the guards look to have finished sweeping the inside of the castle. even so, we'd never make it out the main gates, so we'll slip out through the servant's entrance. there's about to be a little rotation, i think, so hopefully we can duck out without being noticed."

Sure enough, down the hallway a crowd of servants was gathering near one of the smaller gates, some entering, some leaving. The guard at the gate could be seen yawning, evidently news of the jailbreak not having reached him yet. It was more than easy to blend into the middle of the bustling crowd. They kept their heads low, trying to draw as little attention as possible. As soon as they were clear of the castle walls, they broke off from the crowd, sprinting down into the marketplace.

Here they paused, glancing over their shoulder. Asriel chuckled. "We...We made it!"

"N-Not quite…" Alphys pointed out. "We...W-We still have the main g-gate to worry about, and th-that's a lot more guarded than normal!"

Sans nodded in agreement. At least they weren't being chased, giving him time to think. Frisk watched as his eyes scanned the square. Suddenly his pupils lit up slightly.

"any of you know how to ride a horse?"

They followed his gaze to two stallions, tied to one of the busier stalls.

Frisk shrugged. "How hard can it be?"

After glancing amongst themselves, they started making their way to the stalls. As they neared, Frisk lowered his voice.

"I'll take Az, Sans, why don't you take Alphys?"

The skeleton nodded, but upon reaching them he realized it would be a significant challenge to actually get into the saddle. After glancing both ways, Frisk held his breath as his feet left the ground. One of the skeleton's hands glowed a soft blue as he lifted Frisk up and onto the saddle. Immediately Frisk reached down, helping Asriel up while Sans lifted Alphys up as well. He quickly started untying the ropes, and at last he climbed up himself.

Just then, the shopkeep noticed what was going on, shouting angrily. "Hey! What're you doing?!"

Without stopping, Sans jerked the reigns, turning the horse around before giving them a snap. Frisk tried to do the same, wobbling perilously.

"Whoa!" He managed to lean the horse into turning around, sprinting after Sans just before the shopkeep could pull him off.

" _Out of the way_!" Asriel shouted into the crowd, startled cries filling the air as they thundered towards the front gate. As they neared, it was evident the guards had noticed the ruckus. The guard captain shouted with an outstretched hand.

"Stop in the name of the king!"

Frisk leaned further forward on the horse. Stopping was not an option. Atop the ramparts, four of the guards nocked bows, pulling the strings back. Just as they released, Sans flashed a hand upward, glowing blue once more. The arrows instantly stopped, a similar glow around them, before they dropped harmlessly out of the air. Before the guards could load more arrows in, the stone turned to wood as they dashed through the main gate. Even after they were clear of the drawbridge, Sans shouted over his shoulder "don't stop!"

Frisk had no intentions of doing so. He glanced over his shoulder at the city starting to rapidly fade behind him. Only once the distant bustle was no longer audible did Sans bring his horse to a gradual stop. Frisk did the same, huffing breathlessly.

"Holy cow...we...we did _not_ just get away with that!"

Sans let out a tired chuckle. "i...think we just did. we should keep off of the road, they'll be looking for us. i think i remember the way back to the comet. let's get back there first, we'll figure out what to do from there. agreed?"

Alphys gave a breathless nod, while Asriel glanced behind him. "Better than sticking around here…"

"Agreed," Frisk stated. With a grunt, Sans turned his steed, guiding the group off of the main road, and into the grass surrounding. Once more the group began the trip back to their ship.

* * *

By the time the four reached the Comet once more, the sun was well beneath the horizon. Frisk let out a tired yawn as Asriel slid off the horse. The human managed to climb down after him, watching as Sans and Alphys followed suit. Immediately Sans gave a slap to the horse's hindquarters, watching as it reared, then darted away into the trees. Getting the hint, Frisk did the same, walking towards the ship.

"Right...let's get out of here, huh?"

"not that simple," Sans pointed out. "we still need to figure out what the heck happened. i'd rather us not take off into some other universe. that'll take time."

Asriel glanced around the small clearing. "How long'll that take?! We know they'll be hunting us down!"

"Relax." Frisk glanced at his friend. "There's a lot of ground to cover, they can't do it all in a day. We've got some time."

Alphys huddled close to the Comet, the growl of a stomach audible. "W-We should find f-food…"

"agreed, but not now," Sans replied. "let's just sleep through the night. tomorrow, alph and i will start working on the comet. you two go to that local town and see if you can find us some food. steal it if you have to. we're already fugitives anyway."

Frisk nodded, laying down on the soft grass. As he gazed up at the sky, he shook his head.

"At least the stars are as fascinating as in our world…"

Asriel sighed, looking up as well. "Not ours, though."

Frisk shrugged. "Might not be...but still good to have something reminding us of home."

"I…" He yawned again. "I guess…" Silence fell amongst the group, and it wasn't long before the sounds of quiet snoring was the only sound for miles.


	7. The Strangers

"Sire, I'm telling you we've swept every alleyway, every shop, every little nook and cranny within a few miles of the city, they're nowhere to be found!"

The king glanced down at the captain walking beside him, the look still one of apology. Asriel let out a low growl, "Then expand your search outwards to the towns surrounding the capital. I want them found!"

Their conversation was cut short by one of the castle guards sprinting around the corner.

"Your majesty! I understand you're busy, but there's a human to see you-"

"Is it the one we lost?" Asriel snapped at the guard, who immediately stiffened.

"Uh...no sire, but-"

"Then send him away. I'm busy enough as it is."

A fourth voice joined them, slightly muffled. "I'm afraid I must insist, your majesty, what I have to discuss is of the utmost urgency, regarding your little fugitives." The stranger stepped from behind the guard, hands folded behind his back. Asriel looked him over. The man was dressed in robes, not too different from travelling merchants, yet little bulges in his robes showed that he was indeed armed. His visage was obscured by a hood, with a cloth pulled over his mouth and nose, leaving only his eyes visible. A risk to be sure...but if he had information…

"You have my attention. Walk with us." He nodded at the guard, dismissing him. The human walked alongside the king and his captain as they proceeded down the corridor.

"What's your name?"

The human replied, keeping his eyes focused in front. "Please understand, your majesty, I am not permitted to reveal my identity to anyone. I am an undercover investigator. My main job is to remain unknown. I do hope you can understand. Still, I can tell you of my objective."

"You claim to have information on our fugitives," Asriel replied. "How do I know this is true, and not some plot?"

"Let me guess, they came to you directly, and claimed they were travellers from another universe. They came here in a special machine, and were seeking help home. Correct?"

Asriel stopped, shifting his eyes. "How would you know of this…"

The stranger turned to face him, a grim look in his eyes. "Because those same people paid _us_ a visit too. I am not permitted to go into detail, but let's just say there is now a high price for their capture. I am more than willing to split this reward with you your majesty. All I need to know...is where they went."

* * *

"ow!" Sans grunted, one of the bolts falling onto him, rolling to the side. Alphys poked her head back into the Comet.

"You alright?!"

Sans nodded, rubbing his head. "yeah, yeah, i'm alright." He huffed, removing the panel on the underside of the Comet's dash. A mass of wires and circuits greeted him. Sighing, he got to work.

That morning, Frisk and Asriel made the agreed departure to the nearby town to get food, while Sans and Alphys worked on repairing the Comet. Of course to start, Sans needed to figure out what was wrong. Hopefully when he got to the navigation, he would be able to simply set a reverse course back home.

While Sans dealt with the wiring, Alphys remained outside, looking over all the external systems, making sure there wasn't any other sort of flaw from the outside that could hinder them. The work was tedious. She glanced up at a robin flying overhead underneath the blue sky. At least the weather was pleasant. An hour passed, then two. Alphys glanced at the trees.

"H-Hey Sans?" she called. "Shouldn't A-Asriel and Frisk have been back b-by now?"

The skeleton called back, "town's a bit further away remember, they probably only got there an hour ago. relax! i'm sure they're fine."

She tapped her claws together nervously, then heard Sans grunt.

"whoah…" Then, his voice was raised. "alph! get in here, i think i found something!"

Alphys wandered up the ramp. Sans shuffled out from underneath the panel, his eyes dark.

"did you do any rewiring before we brought them aboard? did anybody?"

"N-No, nobody should have, there wasn't any th-that needed to be done! Why?"

"'cause there's quite a few wires under there that were switched around. not random though. there's like a pattern to it, interfering with the electrics. that explains why the comet took off on its own.'

"Y...Y-You mean we w-w-were s-sabotaged?!"

Sans nodded grimly. "looks to be that way…that's not all though. i just ran a check on the navigation to try and get us a reverse-course back home. alph...there were coordinates entered in, matching where we are right now. somebody sent us here on purpose."

Sans pointed at one of the monitors, the digits on full display. Alphys's eyes widened, as big as saucers. Her voice croaked out, hardly above a whisper.

"B...B-But we never figured out that ourselves! How did somebody put in the p-parameters to send us here?! Wh-Whoever did this would h-have to have more knowledge th-than us! Be-Besides, with how p-precise these are, it's as..."

"as if somebody's done it before," Sans finished the thought.

"Y...Y-You don't think…"

Sans nodded, glancing back at the screen. "yeah,...this is more than just sabotage. we were sent here for a reason...and i don't think we're the only ones out of place."

Alphys began making for the exit. "We-We have to warn th-the others!"

Sans grabbed her shoulder. "no! we don't need to. look around you. we haven't had anything attack us out here, meaning they don't know where we 's just work at getting this thing up and running, and leave as soon as we can. who knows how much time we've got left?...now c'mon, help me get these wires back into place."

* * *

Frisk jumped as Asriel sneezed beside him. "Bless you," he mumbled, scanning the town, then shook his head in frustration.

"This might be harder than it looks. Don't think we'd be able to just steal something. I mean, look! Half these shops have got guards, and it's not like we'd be able to outrun them."

"So...now what? Any other bright ideas?"

"We could always pose as beggars, try to get some money that way to just buy it…"

Asriel laughed. "With our clothes? No way, they'd never buy it."

"Fair point...fair point…"

Asriel took another look around. "We could always just ask nicely for someone to buy us something…"

Now it was Frisk's turn to scoff sarcastically. Asriel gave him a jab.

"What? You never know! Doesn't hurt to try." Before Frisk could think up a rebuttal, he approached one of the nearby monsters, giving her shoulder a tap.

"Sorry miss, forgive me, uh, my friend and I are on the road, but we've run out of money. We...er...can't really buy any food...would you be able to help us out? We don't need much."

The monster glanced over her shoulder, turning around as Asriel spoke. Frisk blinked. She appeared to resemble a sort of lizard. In fact, Frisk almost would have guessed she was a dragon, except she didn't have wings. Her scales were blue, and her eyes a soft green. She looked first to Asriel, then to Frisk. She then let out a sigh.

"Very well, I suppose I could lend a hand." She jerked her head to one of the stalls in the marketplace. Loaves of bread were lined up on the table, along with other bakers delights, a couple fruits also on the table. The pair stood back while she negotiated with the monster manning the stall, soon returning with two loaves of bread, giving one to each of them. Asriel returned her smile.

"Thanks ma'am, I'll find a way to make it up to you!"

The monster shook her head. "No need. Just doing my part. I will say...you two do look kind of familiar! Have we met?"

Frisk and Asriel exchanged a brief look with each other other. Surely the king hadn't already been looking for them all the way out here? Frisk tried to play dumb.

"Er...I think you've got us confused."

The monster tilted her head slightly. "Mmm...strange, I can't help but think we've met." She shifted slightly. Frisk met her eyes. Something was wrong. He subtly took a small step to the side, stepping between her and Asriel.

"Right...well, I think we'll be going now."

The monster gave a little twitch. A breeze blew through the air, ruffling her robes. Frisk saw a tiny glint at her waist. It was one he had seen time and time again...as a soldier. Her hand inched just a bit closer to her firearm. Frisk looked up at her. The monster's gaze hardened.

"You aren't supposed to be here…"

"Neither are you." Her voice as cold and steely as the weapon at her hip.

The three combatants stared at each other, both sides daring the other to make the first move. Asriel hoped for a better solution.

"We don't have to do this…"

The monster scoffed. "Kid, trust me. I've come too far to just walk away."

Asriel's eyes narrowed. Frisk took a deep breath. One of her fingers twitched. Time slowed. Frisk and Asriel took another step past, when a cart rolled down the road, blocking their view of the lizard. Frisk grabbed Asriel, as the monster grabbed her gun.


	8. Firefight

Frisk shoved Asriel. A shot rang out, and a plasma bolt screamed through the air. The two fell behind the cart.

"GET UP, COME ON!" Frisk yelled, immediately dragging Asriel back to his feet. The sullen prince held one of his cheeks, though his eyes remained on the ground. Frisk pushed on his back. Shot after shot rang out from the attacker's gun, backed by a choir of the villagers' screams. Even after the cart driver fled, the pair stayed crouched behind it. Then once close enough, they broke away and ducked between two of the wooden buildings.

"In here! In here!" Frisk shoved Asriel right, then left again. When they emerged, they were near the edge of the town. By now the shots had stopped. The two leaned back against the wall. Frisk panted, his heart pounding hard against his ribcage. He looked over at his friend. Asriel was still huffing, clutching his cheek.

"Hey...Az, you alright?"

Asriel's eyes darted to him. Frisk tensed slightly.

"Does it look like I'm alright?!" he spat indignantly. His eyes had gone from their normal friendly white, to a cold black. His pupils were glowing a pale white. Frisk then saw what his friend was covering. Some of the fur on his cheek was singed. He let out a sigh.

"Flowey...never thought I'd say this, but it's good to see you."

Flowey grunted, dusting off one of his shoulders. With the alter as the one in charge, Frisk knew they stood more of a chance in a fight.

He peered around the corner. The monster had begun searching the alleyways, the smoking plasma pistol still clutched in her hand.

"How the hell does she have plasma weaponry?! I thought that hadn't even been invented yet!" Flowey muttered.

"We'll worry about that later," Frisk replied silently. His gaze drifted towards the treeline. No, too far for them to make it all the way. They only had one option. Flowey twitched eagerly, excited for what Frisk had realized. He inched out into the open, only to be pulled back by Frisk.

"Flowey, be careful of the townsfolk, they haven't done anything."

His friend scoffed. "Relax. I won't hurt anyone that didn't deserve it." He rose again, keeping his back pinned against the wall. As his fingers twitched, his gaze scanned his surroundings. Several seed-like pellets danced around his fingers, each glowing white.

The attacker spied the prince, immediately opening fire. Flowey ducked back as the plasma bolts scorched into the wood. Frisk shielded his eyes from one of the hot splinters, raising his arm. Flowey wasted no time, ducking out from hiding during a small pause in the shooting. He lashed his hands out, first the right, then the left. The pellets flew straight and true. While a couple missed, most hit their mark.

"Uph-" The lizard grunted in pain, staggering. Flowey ducked back behind a building on the other side of the alley. A tense moment passed before he dared to glance back out. Instead of seeing dust, he was stunned to see the monster still standing! Through some of the holes in her robes, he saw a sort of armour underneath.

Frisk had only a moment to process this before fire once more filled the air. But this time, the shots were angry. Reckless. Flowey took advantage of her momentary lapse in concentration. Frisk saw him fumble with one hand slightly, before a startled yelp rang out!

Frisk peered between his fingers to see a thorny vine wrapped around the lizard's wrist! She reached down with her free hand for her thigh, no doubt for a concealed blade, but before she had a chance a second vine had lashed out, snagging it as well.

Flowey spun from behind cover and shoved his palm out. A sudden burst of magic shot forth, slamming straight into her chest! The force snapped the vines like string, and sent her flying back. She hit the ground just a couple feet away, skidding over the dirt before laying motionless.

Flowey stalked forward. Frisk followed.

"She's still alive," he noted as they neared, the monster still solid. Flowey's fist tightened, then raised above his head. Frisk put an arm over his chest, blocking him.

"We shouldn't. Look around you!"

Flowey did so. Several terrified and confused gazes stared back at them, no doubt unable to make sense of what would be happening. Still, he growled.

"She tried to kill us."

"And she probably isn't alone. We can't stick around too long in case her companions come looking. Not to mention, the guard will likely be on their way. We need to leave."

All around them, the fear of the townsfolk mirrored in Frisk's own eyes. He let his fists uncurl, giving an annoyed huff, "Fine."

Frisk gave his shoulder a pat. Before they left, he stooped down to grab the plasma pistol. He then turned back to the alley, retreating with Flowey into the tight roads between the buildings...and soon, to the trees beyond.

Deeper and deeper into the woods they went. Frisk kept two hands on the plasma pistol, his body tensed to jump at every rustling leaf and snapped twig. Time flowed on. Far above, the sun slowly glided across the sky. Neither said a word. Neither of them wanted to. But eventually, Asriel was forced to speak up.

"Do you have any idea where we're going?"

Frisk bit his inner lip, not wanting to show Flowey his growing unease. To be truthful, he didn't. He just picked a direction and ran. Despite this, his silence spoke plenty. A frustrated groan rumbled in Flowey's throat.

"Great. We're lost. If I was still a flower I could at least burrow around faster than this."

"You're REALLY not helping right now," Frisk shot back, growing defensive.

"Bet I could find our way back at least…"

"Alright if you're so smart, then YOU find the way back! Go on!"

The two came to a halt, as Flowey dismissively. He looked around, before pointing to a group of thicker bushes.

"Well, why not we try through there? We know we stashed the machine around heavier vegetation anyway."

Frisk rolled his eyes. "Smartass…"

Flowey led the way, casually waving one of his hands. Immediately two vines sprouted from the undergrowth, parting the branches as they moved, clearing a path for them. Then as they spied the glint of sunlight on strange metal machinery, they froze.

Before them sat a machine, but it was definitely not theirs. While theirs was an elegant oblong shape, this was much more rounded, with dozens of additional components on the exterior. It stood upon four landing legs, rooted firmly into the grass. Several of the exterior mechanicals glowed a soft turquoise. Around the whole machine was a ring, resembling the shape of a gear.

"Whoa…" Even Flowey was in awe. Frisk gulped nervously.

"I think we just found how she got here."

Flowey approached cautiously, spying a panel on the machine. He cautiously opened it up, pushing the lone button. Immediately the machine hissed. Frisk instinctively raised the plasma pistol, keeping it trained on a hatch that opened up, a ramp extending to the ground.

A familiar instinct overtook Frisk, he was sure he was back on the field of war. Cautiously, he stepped onto the ramp, keeping the weapon in front of him as he entered the machine. Close to the main hatch along the wall were several costumes, each quite small. Dozens of them in fact. Frisk frowned in confusion. They looked like they were for kids. Past the costumes were eight seats. Six for passengers, Frisk assumed, and two for pilots. All were empty. As were multiple racks hanging from the wall.

"There's nobody in there," he reported to Flowey, stepping back outside. "She's definitely not alone, though."

"We should probably scram then, while we still can. Gotta find our way back and warn the others."

Frisk nodded. Before they left, he made sure to push the button again, as the hatch closed and ramp retreated with an eerie silence. After one more glance over his shoulder, the pair retreated into the bushes.

* * *

The stranger nodded to one of the castle guards as he stepped into his assigned bedchamber. King Asriel had been most generous in his offering to aid in the pursuit of the so-called fugitives. He closed the door, calmly walking to the window, making sure it was closed as well. He sat down on his bed, pulling the cloth down from his face. He reached into one of his pockets, pulling out a small radio, clicking it on.

"This is 01. Report."

"This is 02, no sign of the targets in the south."

"03 reporting, I've yet to finish my scouts to the west, so far though, nothing.

"This is 04…" There was a slight huff over the radio. The stranger frowned.

"04, are you alright? You sound tired."

"Yeah...we might have a problem. I ran into two tangos, but they're not the ones we're wanting."

The stranger's brow furrowed. "Elaborate."

"Some kid, er, human, and a monster. Capri-Bovarian from the looks of it. I think it's the prince!"

"...That throws a wrench into the works…"

"01, this is 05. Do you want me to deal with our two tangos? Surely they aren't far."

"Copy 05, go assist 04 in the village, start pushing to the east. We know they can't be far away. Remember though, we only have two targets. Let's try to avoid collateral if we can. 02 and 03, start making your way back to base. I'll meet up en-route. 01 out." He clicked off the radio, and a little huff escaped his lips.

The extra two would certainly...complicate things for his team. He simply hoped it wouldn't derail the operation too much.


	9. The Jump

Sans knocked twice on the panel, and grunted as he wriggled out from underneath the console.

“right, wiring’s fixed...alph! everything looking good out there?!” he called out of the open hatch. 

“Y-Yeah, everything’s l-looking good out here!”

The skeleton wandered outside, the sun by now starting to inch towards the horizon.

“good. everything looks good to go inside. fixed up the wiring, and i’ve managed to reverse the navigation as much as possible, hopefully it’ll bring us home. or at least put us closer.”

Alphys nodded, looking anxiously towards the undergrowth. Sans followed her gaze as the bushes rustled. She sighed with relief as Frisk emerged from the undergrowth. As Sans spotted Flowey following he tensed, the dark eyes glaring into his own. Both of them looked out of breath. Then Alphys saw his singed cheek. 

“Wh-What happened?! Where’ve y-you been?!”

Frisk sighed. “We got to the town alright, but we got ambushed-”

“by someone from our world?” 

“Er...yeah...yeah that’s right. How’d you know?”

“the comet was sabotaged. we were sent here on purpose. we were thinking we might have been followed. guess you confirmed it.”

“She had a plasma gun,” Flowey added. 

The pupils in Sans’s eyes vanished. “p...plasma? you’re sure?”

Frisk nodded, holding up the pistol for him to see. “Grazed his cheek. We’re okay, though...or as well as you will be.”

Alphys closed her eyes, shaking her head. “B-But that doesn’t make any sense! We h-haven't invented pl-plasma weaponry yet in our t-timeline!”

“That’s what we thought.” Frisk took a deep breath. “That is...we haven’t in our world...but there’s nothing to say other universes haven’t…”

Sans jammed his bony hands into his pockets. “you found something else, didn’t you…”

Flowey nodded, pointing into the trees. “Yeah. We accidentally found their ship! And it looks a lot more advanced than ours.”

“well, at least we know how they got here now.” Sans shrugged. “shame that just brings up more questions than it answers.”

Flowey rolled his eyes, grumbling sarcastically, “Well if you want to ask them those questions, be my guest, but I can vouch that they’re not very talkative.”

“So, what do we do?” Frisk asked. 

“well, she’s ready to fly, just need to run the checks beforehand and do a last diagnostic on everything to make sure we fully fixed everything...i think it’s safe to say, though, that we should boogie out of here as soon as we can.”

“Agreed.” Alphys tapped her claws together nervously. 

“Best get moving then, anything you need us to take care of?” Frisk asked as followed Sans up the ramp and into the Comet.

“don’t think so, just let me and alph work.” A beep sounded from the console and they both froze. Sans frowned, glancing to Frisk.

“someone’s trying to contact us through the radio…”

“Maybe it’s home trying to get in touch with us!”

“i don’t know...why would they just now be trying to contact us? i imagine they’ve been trying to do that already, doesn’t make sense…”

The pinging continued, growing seemingly more persistent. Frisk shrugged.

“Well whoever it is isn’t giving up.”

Silence. Impulsive Sans snatched up the radio. “this is the comet, whoever’s calling, we read you…”

But the voice that answered was not one Frisk was hoping to hear.

“Ahh, this must be Sans! A pleasure we get to speak at last.”

“who is this?” the skeleton replied coldly. 

“Who I am is of no concern to you. All you should be concerned about is why we are here.”

“...what do you want?” 

“We want you. And your friend Alphys. You’re the reason we’ve gone to all this trouble. We have no quarrel with the prince and his friend. Come out to us willingly...and they can return home with the Comet.”

“over my dust,” he scoffed. 

“Suit yourself.” The radio disconnected.

In that instant a loud metal bang rang out, as a plasma bolt slammed into the side of the Comet. Frisk and Sans jumped, and sprinted back outside, where they were met with chaos. A wall of Flowey’s vines barricaded them from the forest, and just behind the machine Frisk could barely see Alphys’ tail peeking out from where she hid. 

“hold them off!” Sans ducked back inside, and moments later, the sound of whirring engines rose in the clearing. Frisk raised the pistol, returning fire at the shooters. He only managed to shoot off four bolts before being forced to duck back into cover. Flowey gritted his teeth, seeing a glow from the engines.

“We need to get inside, come on!” He ducked back around, letting a short burst of magic fly from his hand. There was a quick break in the plasma fire. Alphys scrambled from cover, clambering up the ramp. Just as her feet touched it, the attackers opened fire, and she let out a pained grunt as she stumbled inside.

Frisk darted up the ramp behind her. Sans glanced over the shoulder of the chair as Asriel darted up after, the hatch starting to close, agonizingly slow.

“you alright alph?!” 

Frisk knelt over the scientist. She gritted her teeth in pain, clutching her shoulder. Smoke trailed from a hole in her jacket.

“I...I-I’m fine…” 

Frisk could see the blood staining the white coat.

“No, you’re not,” he grunted. Instinctively he ducked as more pangs rang out from around them. 

“az, get alph into one of the passenger seats, take care of her!” Sans barked out. “frisk, i need you in the co-pilot seat,  _ now _ !”

“Asriel isn’t  _ here _ right now!” Flowey snapped. 

“i don’t care! just help her!”

Grumbling, Flowey helped Alphys limp to one of the passenger seats. He did up her belts, then his own as Frisk settled into the co-pilots seat, biting his lip as the pangs continued.

“don’t worry. she can take a hit...i hope…” Sans added on, more for his own reassurance. He flicked two of the switches, before grabbing the controls. Frisk did the same as Sans instructed him. 

“i’ll get us out of here, just be ready in case i need you.” 

Frisk nodded, closing his eyes as the whines grew louder and louder. The force pushed into his seat as the ship rose, then shot back as the Comet made the leap.

* * *

The security guard at the laboratory sighed, entering the bustling launch room, a mug of coffee in his hand. He walked to the queen, setting it down in front of her. She started, glancing at the guard, then gave a tired nod. 

“Your majesty, you’ve been here for over a day, you should get some sleep.”

Toriel refocused her gaze back on the empty platform, taking a sip from the mug. “I will not rest until I know my children are safe. I lost them before...I am not ready to let them go again.”

The guard sighed, gazing out over the vast team. “I’m sure they’re doing everything they can to try and bring them back...you just need to be patient.”

“I know...I know.” Toriel gazed down at the desk. “I...just wish I could be doing more…”

“Your highness, I can assure you that there’s nothing more you need to be doing,” the guard reassured. “These are some of the brightest minds in the world. They’ll bring them back. Not to mention, your children are in safe hands with Sans and Alphys. They’ll know what to do. I’m sure they’re fine!”

She said nothing in return, her fingers tapping against the glass. The guard sighed.

“Chin up, your highness, they’ll be fine. Just wait.” He left to return to his post, Toriel shook her head, slumping forward on the desk. She continued trying to keep her eyes open, not wanting to miss even a second in case that happened to be the moment of her children’s return. And yet, the more she tried, the heavier her eyes got. Gradually they closed, sending her off to an uneasy slumber.


End file.
